The Geriatric Leadership Academic Award awarded to Christine Cassel, M.D. will assist her in expanding interdisciplinary research in aging at the University of Chicago and in the broader academic community throughout this city. The GLAA provides Dr. Cassel with the support to move existing research and clinical programs throughout the University to the next step, through substantial new faculty recruitment and support from the Deans of the relevant schools, especially medicine. Dr. Cassel will consult with the many research centers and programs throughout the University. Further, she will act as an advisor to two new programs in the Division of Biological Sciences -- a new basic science research facility and a new Department of Health Studies. Through her participation in the development of these new programs, Dr. Cassel will stimulate the formation of new collaborative investigations between these two areas and geriatrics. Dr. Cassel also continues to fulfill the original purpose of the GLAA in fostering collaborative aging research in the social and biomedical sciences. Dr. Cassel's success in establishing collaborative research programs has led to the hiring of new faculty and the expansion of the research interests of existing faculty. As research in aging proliferates at the University, the original plan of steering committees to oversee the development of new studies has evolved into smaller working groups, each of which pursues a more specific, although largely multidisciplinary, focus. Dr. Cassel acts as a consultant and an advocate within all of these research groups, contributing to the formulation of research ideas and encouraging the development of aging components.